


Festive FEELINGS! (Oh, and shopping)

by Willow_bird



Series: on the tip of my tongue (say something) [9]
Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Andrew Minyard Loves Neil Josten, Andrew Talks About His Feelings, Christmas Shopping, Family Feels, Gay Disaster Andrew Minyard, General Disaster Nicky Hemmick, I don't care if it's still November I'm posting this anyway, M/M, Nicky Hemmick Loves Everyone, Nicky Hemmick is a Gift, Nicky and Andrew Bonding, Other, POV Nicky Hemmick, holiday feels, they talk about the Maserati
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-09
Updated: 2020-11-09
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:20:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27462607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Willow_bird/pseuds/Willow_bird
Summary: Nicky manages to get Andrew to agree to go Christmas shopping with him! Maybe while they're out and about they can finally do all that family bonding they never got to do, ever, while everyone was too busy hating each other! Right? Right!
Relationships: Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard, Nicky Hemmick & Andrew Minyard, Nicky Hemmick/Erik Klose
Series: on the tip of my tongue (say something) [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1782130
Comments: 42
Kudos: 329





	Festive FEELINGS! (Oh, and shopping)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [likearecord](https://archiveofourown.org/users/likearecord/gifts).



> Hi friends! This scene technically takes place between chapters 4 & 5 of [let them hear me shout (for you)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25921930) but can be read completely independently of the series. 
> 
> I was just going to briefly skip through it as like a half-scene in the main fic, but then I got an ask from the wonderful likearecord/@alittlelately for a scene where someone gets Andrew to talk about his relationship with Neil and, well, I just could not resist. SO! I fleshed it out into a full scene from Nicky's POV because listen, we all need more Nicky POV, especially me. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

“We’ll be home after lunch! Or, well, maybe longer. But maybe before. If it’s before then I’ll text you and we can pick up something for all of us on the way. Have a good time with Neil! Bond! I’m sure you’ll be great friends. He can be a little prickly but he’s really--”

“Nicky, love, it’s alright.” There was a laugh in Erik’s voice that made Nicky’s knees go a little bit weak and he didn’t bother resisting the urge to throw his arms around his boyfriend and kiss him for at least the fourth time this morning. Fuck he'd missed him.

Erik's arms came around him and gathered him close. He was so solid, so strong, like he could hold Nicky forever and never tire -- like he could bear the weight of all his burdens without breaking a sweat. There was something so incredibly reassuring about that stability (and also… something really hot about all those hard fucking muscles) that Nicky had to wonder why he ever left those arms at all. He let out a soft, pleased sigh and nuzzles against Erik's neck, smiling at the feel of his rumbling chuckle against his lips.

"My love," Erik murmured in quiet German, "if you keep your cousin waiting too long, he might leave without you."

Nicky scrunched up his nose at that, but the light of his life was probably right. Leaving Erik with a kiss on the neck, then another on the lips, Nicky peeled away so he could grab his coat. "Have fun!" he reminded him, blowing him another kiss (just because) before scurrying out the front door. 

The sight of Neil and Andrew lingering together near the Maserati had Nicky catching himself, then backpedaling a step. He was getting much quicker to the trigger to employ his Operation Romance Method and any time he came across the two of them lingering on their own together he instantly reeled himself in and kept quiet so that he could evaluate the situation before intruding. It had absolutely nothing to do with him wanting to snoop. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. 

The other two (deliriously in love) men were standing close to one another near the driver's side door. There was nothing conspicuous or overtly romantic about the way they were standing or the distant murmur of their voices -- which was too quiet for Nicky to make out exactly what they were saying but loud enough for him to pick up on a conversational tone. Confident that he wasn't going to be interrupting anything, Nicky stood up straight and jogged down the front steps with a grin.

"Andrew! You didn't leave without me!"

"There is still time." Andrew's response was delivered dryly and without an ounce of irony. Nicky had full confidence that if he _did_ push too much, or in the wrong way, that he _would_ leave him behind. However, he also felt more secure in his chances now than he might have, say, a year ago. 

“Don’t worry, I’m not ruining my chance to sit in the passenger seat,” he teased with a grin. 

Andrew rolled his eyes but Nicky liked to think that he detected a hint of amusement. Nicky was about to comment along that vein when there, right in front of him, Andrew leaned in and gave Neil a brief, chaste kiss on the lips. It was exactly the kind of kiss that he might give to Erik before heading off to the store, or that he’d seen Matt and Dan or Aaron and Katelyn share a million times (even though they were hetero, love was still love after all). But it… it was _not_ something he was used to expecting from Andrew and Neil. The two of them just didn’t… _do_ casual intimacy like that. Or at least, they didn’t do casual intimacy like that in front of other people. 

Or maybe it was that they didn’t do casual intimacy in front of people that they didn’t trust. 

Something began to fucking _glow_ in Nicky’s heart and he _mostly_ managed not to squeal. If Andrew or Neil heard him they didn't acknowledge him, though. Neil just looked at Andrew like he hung the moon with a sweet, adorable little smile on his face as Andrew scoffed affectionately and pushed his partner's face away. 

"Go inside, Josten. I will not make you chicken soup if you catch fucking pneumonia." 

Neil chuckled but pulled away and turned to walk back up to the house with a final wave to both of them. 

Nicky watched him go, then turned to Andrew with a bright, wide grin, because -- obviously -- BABY COUSIN ANDREW IS SO IN LOVE AND IT'S AMAZING!!!!

Andrew narrowed his eyes at whatever expression of absolute joy that was on his face, then pointed a finger at him and said, sternly, "No." Before Nicky could pout or protest, Andrew then turned away and pulled open the driver's side door, slipping in behind the wheel.

Now even more sure than before that this was going to be the best, most amazing shopping trip ever, Nicky settled himself with a deep breath then moved to get in on the passenger side. Like he had expected, there was a certain amount of nigh-divinity that came with sitting in the front seat of the Maserati. He was one of the Chosen Ones, at long last, and it was _amazing._

Yeah, okay, so he’d had the second key for the GT and had been on the insurance -- but that was literally _only_ because Andrew couldn't drive while medicated and there was no way he was leaving his prized possession behind while they were at PSU. He and Aaron hadn't exactly been all buddy-buddy back then, and so Nicky was kind of his default option. When Andrew had come back with the Maserati, Nicky hadn't really been _surprised_ that he wasn't on the policy anymore. Neil becoming the second driver had even seemed kinda natural, considering he'd been the one driving the GT while Andrew had been off at Easthaven and they seemed to be having some kind of weird joint-custody thing with Kevin. Though looking back, he really should have known better.

"Ahh, never thought I'd get to be front seat again, this is great!" he said with a grin over at Andrew. "Guess I shoulda caught onto you and Neil back when you put him on the insurance policy, huh? Man do I feel stupid sometimes about that." He chuckled at his own expense.

"We were not together at that point," Andrew corrected with a shrug.

"Whoa wait, really? You put him on the Maz before you were even together? Damn Andrew you had it _bad._ And to think I thought it was just some weird dual-bodyguard thing you guys had about Kevin."

Andrew snorted but didn't look over at him. " _No_ , that wasn't it either," he protested, and maybe it was because Nicky had already witnessed several very incriminating moments that absolutely gave away how deliriously, adorably _gone_ his little cousin was over his boyfriend, but even Andrew kinda sounded like he didn't believe his own refusal. 

"Uh-huh. Sure thing, cuz," Nicky mollified, expertly looking out the window at precisely the right moment to avoid Andrew's glare. 

" _No,_ I gave Neil the second key and put him on the policy because he's the one who paid for it."

Whoa. Wait. Hold the fucking phone. Whaaaaaaa!?!

Nicky almost pulled something with how fast he turned his head to be able to gape at Andrew. "Wait, what?! Repeat that because I am really sure I just misheard you right now. Did you just say that Neil paid for the Maz? This Maz? As in, the Maserati that we are currently sitting in right now? This beautiful example of Italian sexiness and machine finery? _That_ Neil and _this_ Maz?"

Andrew paused at a stoplight and leveled an unamused look at him that was all the confirmation Nicky needed.

"Andrew Joseph Minyard the boy BOUGHT you a CAR! Not only that. He bought you like _The_ car. The one and only. Like. Like!!" Nicky gesticulated wildly, having no words for exactly how !!!! it was that Neil "I won't even spend money on clothes for myself I'd rather look like a dirty orphan hobo" Josten bought a fucking _Maserati_ for a man who says they weren't even together at the time. Nicky suddenly felt a little bit better about missing the whole Andrew-and-Neil thing, if Andrew and Neil didn't even realize what the fuck was going on when they were _buying fucking cars for each other_. 

"It wasn't like that," Andrew said with a sigh in the weakest attempt at protest Nicky had ever fucking heard. "I picked out the car. He just forked over the cash, since he seemed to think it was his fault the GT got trashed."

"Yeah, no. Andrew. Cousin. Friend. Bro. You don't just.. _no homo_ buying a fucking _car_ for someone."

Nicky _felt_ the eye-roll Andrew gave in response to that. The entire atmosphere of the car shifted with it and Nicky was _legit_ impressed. 

The rest of the drive to the mall was filled only with the music from the radio, playing rock hits from some other decade. Nicky barely noticed, his mind reeling with this new information. He just could not get over the wonder of Neil actually buying Andrew a car. Damn, boy. And to think Nicky was kinda worried about Neil's ability to gift. He could probably get away with crappy cards for the next ten years, just riding the wave of, you know, buying a _fucking Maserati_ for his _not-yet-boyfriend_. Granted, now that they _were_ together, gifting was different. It always was. The tone of the gift exchange shifted when you entered a long-term, committed relationship with someone. Especially in those first couple of years. Sure, after you've been married for ten years, a gift card on your birthday might work for you, but in the first year? The first _Christmas?_

Oh my God. This was Andrew and Neil's first Christmas!!!! Not just as a couple either, but first Christmas together at all, because last year…

Eh, well maybe it was better not to think about last year's holidays and where Neil and Andrew had each been. The important thing was that they were together now, for _this_ holiday. That made it special, and Nicky was going to make sure it was _perfect._ For all of them.

The mall was swarming with last minute shoppers all swerving around each other, cursing, and lugging far too many bags at once. It was that scene in every Christmas movie where the dad goes to the store to buy a toy for his kid and every other dad is there for the same toy but there’s only one left -- except in every single store. It was terrifying. It was beautiful. It was so _Christmas_ that it made Nicky grin wildly over at Andrew, who only looked back at him with his usual Blank Stare of Utmost Judgment. 

“Aww c’mon Andrew, get into the holiday spirit! Aren’t you excited to get in there and fight for that perfect gift to make your loved ones happy?”

Flatly, Andrew said, “No.” Then he walked straight into the throng of people, instantly finding the only path from store to store that wasn’t choked with bodies like he had some kind of navigational super power. Or, alternatively, like he could repel people with the force of his mind. Yeah, that one sounded more accurate.

“Andrew!” Nicky called after him, jogging to catch up because for a short dude -- Andrew could really cover some ground pretty damn quickly. 

They ended up in one of their usual clothing stores, either because it was habitual or because of the holiday sale signs in the window that even Andrew couldn’t ignore. Hey, there was no reason they couldn’t get things for themselves as well while out gift shopping, right? Gifts for yourself were a hundred percent valid and counted as _gift shopping_. Though there were also a couple of shirts that would look amazing hugging Erik’s muscles, and at buy-one-get-one, how could Nicky resist?

“Alright, so I gotta know. What did you get Neil for Christmas?” Nicky asked with a grin as they both looked through some fashion jackets. 

“Nothing,” Andrew said. 

Nicky gasped in horror, dropping the hangers he was holding. “Andrew!”

Andrew rolled his eyes. “It is none of your business what I did or did not get my partner, Nicky.”

As much as Nicky wanted to protest this, because it absolutely _was_ his business if Andrew _didn’t_ get Neil anything, the casual use of the word ‘partner’ drew him up short with a burst of glowing excitement. Idly, he wondered if he would ever get used to that -- if it would ever stop being a world-shaking revelation every time Andrew showed affection or revealed glimpses of his own happiness. At least he was getting better at not reacting to it, because this time he didn’t exclaim or dance or gasp with delight. He only grinned. 

“Yeah, okay,” he conceded. “But that doesn’t mean you can’t tell me. I mean, you _did_ get him something, right? Remember, the boy got you a _car_. The least--”

“Yes, Nicky, I got him something,” Andrew cut in with a sharp look that Nicky was beginning to think maybe wasn’t nearly as lethal as he’d always thought it was. 

“Ooh! What did you get him!? Please tell me it wasn’t a sweater. No one gets sweaters for their boyfriends for the first Christmas. Plus, you’re always buying him clothes so that’s not different enough to make it _special_ , you know? Hey, Andrew wait!” Nicky half-tripped over the tangle of clothes and hangers he’d dropped earlier and had to hurriedly scoop them up and shove them on top of the rack, abandoning his selections in his hurry to catch up with Andrew, who had about-faced and was now striding toward the exit with way more speed than anyone that short should really be allowed. 

Nicky caught up with Andrew at the line for the coffee shop, gasping for breath and rubbing at his arm where a bruise was _definitely_ forming thanks to the dragon lady outside the Build-a-Bear who hadn’t believed him when he said he _wasn’t_ cutting in line he was just trying to catch up with his friend.

He cleanly ignored the dirty looks he got from the people behind Andrew in line as he moved to stand next to him, because dirty looks weren’t elbows and he wasn’t _cutting_ anyway -- he and Andrew would order together. “Hey! Look, I’m sure even if you _did_ get him a sweater, he’ll love it. But you got him something else, too, right?”

Andrew’s flat stare very loudly said, _I am not having this conversation with you._

Nicky sighed, but couldn’t stop the grin on his face. “Look, I’m sorry! I just don’t want you to miss out on a chance to spoil your boy just because you might be trying to be all macho or something. It’s okay to go a little crazy and dote on your man around the holidays. That is _literally_ why the holidays exist. They are an excuse to go a bit nuts! You can buy him things you otherwise wouldn’t, even though you want to -- and Andrew, I know that you like to buy him things. I am flighty and a bit silly, but I’m neither stupid nor blind.”

When Andrew glared at him, Nicky smirked in triumph. It wasn’t often you got a win on Andrew Minyard. He wondered if this was what Kevin and Neil felt like when they managed to score on him in practice. It was definitely a powerful sort of feeling.

Emboldened by this victory, Nicky pressed forward. There were still six people in line ahead of them, which was _plenty_ of time. 

“Go on, tell me. What do you want to get him?”

“Why do you care so much?” Andrew asked with a sigh of _resignation_ \-- yes!!

Nicky beamed at him. “Because I care about you,” he responded easily. This clearly wasn’t the answer Andrew was expecting because for a moment -- for just a moment -- his facade broke and Nicky read genuine surprise on his cousin’s face before he hid it again behind a mask of vague annoyance. 

Nicky had a lot of feelings about that, which altogether wasn’t all that strange because, well, Nicky had a lot of feelings in general about a lot of things. He used to tease that he had extra to compensate for his cousins’ apparent lacking in that department -- but that joke didn’t seem so on-brand anymore. Not after witnessing how Aaron was around Katelyn, and how Andrew could be regarding Neil. Even, in some respects, how the brothers were learning to be around _each other_ as well. 

But the surprise on Andrew’s face when Nicky said he cared about him struck him in a painful way that made Nicky want to reach out and hug him. He didn’t, because he _was_ learning, but he wanted to.

“Andrew, you… you do know that I care about you, right?” he asked, trying (and failing) to be as casual about the question as possible. 

Only because he was watching Andrew’s face so incredibly closely did he recognize the way the younger man’s jaw tensed and the flicker of _feeling_ in his eyes. He didn’t know what that feeling was, but it was different than the irritation he was used to seeing. It was deeper, and more… just _more_ in a way that he wasn’t used to seeing from Andrew. At least, not in regards to _him_. But here, now, Nicky got to watch as Andrew wrestled with something. Nicky didn’t know whether he was struggling with the feeling itself, or just what to do about it, and he wanted so, _so_ badly to ask -- but instead he bit the inside of his cheek, and waited.

Finally, when the queue had moved up another person, Andrew finally seemed to come to some decision and he let out a long breath.

“Yes, Nicky,” he said. “I know you care about me. You care too much and that,” he held up his hand as if to stop the protest that was already bubbling on Nicky’s lips -- because it _wasn’t possible_ to care too much, not about Andrew or Aaron! They were his family!

But Andrew frowned at him and Nicky snapped his mouth shut, holding the breath he’d drawn to argue how valid his adoration for his cousins was. Andrew wasn’t done speaking and… Nicky wanted to hear what he had to say, he realized. He wanted to hear what Andrew had to say more than he needed to reiterate his own feelings. So, he held his breath, he kept his lips pressed tightly shut, and he nodded. 

After a long, weighty moment, Andrew apparently decided to trust Nicky’s ability to contain himself and continued with, “...and that is not a bad thing.”

Nicky felt his own eyes widen. He felt the go so wide that they stung as his mouth dropped open and he stared, gaping at his cousin, for once at a total loss for words. Really, his grasp on the English language or really the very concept of transforming thought into sound (or really even, like, feeling into thought) utterly lost on him. All he could do was stare and _feel_ in a dizzying round that left him breathless. Oh, wait, no, he’d just forgotten to breathe.

He took a quick breath in and the oxygen went right to his head, kickstarting the secondary functions of his brain. 

“ _Aaannndreeeew!_ ” 

“No. Stop that. No.” Andrew glared at him and Nicky obediently clapped both hands over his mouth, but he was smiling so hard that the expression shot down his body to his feet and he began to bounce quietly in place. 

He was still grinning and still bouncing when he had gotten a good enough hold on himself that he wasn’t going to make too much noise when he dropped his hands, but Andrew didn’t tell him to stop either of those actions. 

“See, I knew love was the answer! You can accept Neil’s love and adoration, and so it’s becoming easier for you to accept the love and adoration from the other people in your life, right!? I’m right, right? I’m totally right.” Fuck yeah, that’s right, Nicky the Love Expert, that’s exactly what he was. People often didn’t take him seriously because he was a bit of a disaster, but Nicky understood the power of love. He understood the power of loving someone, the power of _being_ loved, and the power that came with learning to love _yourself_. 

So many people talked about loving yourself like it was easy. Worse, so many people talked about it like it was the first step in finding happiness, but anyone who had ever struggled with self-loathing and self-doubt or any degree of depression could tell you that not only was it just _not that easy_ , but to hear people tell you to ‘love yourself’ like it was some sort of cure-all was downright fucking damaging. Because sometimes? Sometimes you can’t. Even when things are good and safe and going well, sometimes it is just impossible to love yourself. But that’s too scary for most people to reconcile, because the one thing we can control is supposed to _be_ ourselves, isn’t it? We can’t control if other people love us. We can’t control if other people are worthy of our love. But we should be able to control whether or not we love ourselves, right?

Right?

But it wasn’t that easy. And more power to those people who could just flawlessly love themselves; who could just _decide_ to accept their flaws and their fears and their insecurities and cherish who they are anyway. Good for them and all that but Nicky… Nicky hadn’t ever been one of those people. Nicky was someone who loved, and someone who needed to _be_ loved before he could follow the path of that love to find things about himself to cherish -- and because he needed to _be_ loved he understood the hollowness that came with the absence of that external source. Maybe that was why he was always trying to show his cousins and his friends and his family how much he loved them, because he knew what it was like to question it and he wouldn’t wish that on anyone. _Especially_ not the people he cared about. 

Maybe Andrew understood that and cared more than Nicky ever realized. Or maybe it was just another byproduct of the love between Andrew and Neil warming Andrew’s heart enough to be able to be… to be more _open_ and more _vulnerable_ than Nicky had ever known him to be.

Whatever the reason, instead of the expected rebuttal or flat refusal to acknowledge Nicky’s exclamations, Andrew studied Nicky for a long time before he sighed and gave a slow nod. 

“Yeah,” he said. “Something like that.”

Nicky couldn’t stop himself from smiling, he just _couldn’t_ , so he didn’t try. But he did work to keep himself calm and quiet and as still as possible. 

“It’s pretty great when someone loves you, huh?” Nicky said. Then, at Andrew’s narrowed look, he added, “Scary too.”

Again, he watched as Andrew took his time absorbing that, rolling it around inside his mind before choosing whether or not to reply and then how to do so. Finally, slowly, almost _reluctantly,_ he nodded in agreement. 

Encouraged, Nicky feigned interest in the hanging menu of the coffee shop -- which was still four groups of orders away. “Neil’s a good one to have, too. Loyal, feisty, adorable, hot as all -- ow!” He jumped, rubbing his arm where Andrew had uncannily jabbed him in _exactly_ the same place as that dragon lady’s elbow from earlier. “What, tell me I’m wrong,” he challenged before he could stop himself, and he really should stop himself because Andrew carried _knives_. 

Andrew glared at him in warning. 

“Okay so, are you getting the stabbies because I’m talking about your boyfriend being hot, or because you want to agree with me but don’t want to _say_ you agree with me?” Nicky said instead of shutting his mouth like a smart person. “Just, you know, so I know for future reference.” Maybe he was getting a little high on all the feelings or something, but he seemed to have left his sense of self-preservation two heartfelt moments and three spaces in the queue ago. 

Nicky watched as Andrew’s jaw tightened. He watched as Andrew stared at him for a hard moment, then looked down at his boots, then up at the ceiling, then ahead to the menu before he rubbed a hand over his face. It wasn’t until the smaller (stabbier) man pressed his fist to the side of his mouth that Nicky realized that… maybe… oh fuck… was Andrew… trying not to… to _smile!?_

Before Nicky could confirm for sure, Andrew hefted a heavy sigh and looked back at him, something similar to his usual blank look back in place but with a twitch around his mouth that _could_ be amusement.

“You are ridiculous,” he pointed out. 

Nicky shrugged, because, well, _yeah._

“Yes,” Andrew said, slowly, _painstakingly_. “I think Neil is… good.”

“Aww, c’mon Andrew, you can do better than that,” Nicky prodded, his grin building again. “You think he’s _amaaaazing_ \--”

“I would not go that far.”

“You wanna kiiiiisss him--”

“That is a part of attraction, yes,” Andrew said with a resigned sigh. 

“You wanna snuuuuuggle him--” Nicky sang.

“I do not _snuggle_ ,” Andrew grumped with zero conviction.

“You totally snuggle. Don’t lie.”

Andrew rolled his eyes but didn’t protest again, which Nicky counted as a win if not an outright agreement. He felt buoyed by this lighter atmosphere between them. Something had shifted in their relationship -- and maybe it had actually started before today but had finally begun to settle in now. 

They reached the counter and gave their orders. Nicky indulged himself in a Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha and Andrew more or less designed his own cup of customizable diabetes. A mix of the caffeine and the break in conversation helped Nicky calm down a bit more. He still felt light and bubbly, excited and just… _happy_ , but in a more mellow, less desperate way. A security settled around him that he’d never really felt around Andrew before, like… yeah, he was going to cherish this -- but it was starting to hit him that… maybe this wasn’t a _fluke_. Maybe he could enjoy this, and maybe it was going to happen again. 

“Alright,” he said Andrew led them back into the monstrous throng of shoppers, elixir in hand, “back to shopping. Do you know what you want to get Neil? We should aim for those shops next.”

Andrew sipped his drink. “Already done.”

“What did you get him?” Nicky asked, both because he was curious and because he had absolutely _no fucking clue_ what to get Neil and that _may_ have been part of the motivation of him wanting Andrew with him today.

Unhelpfully, Andrew shrugged.

“Aw, c’mon Andrew, help a guy out,” Nicky wheedled. Andrew didn’t even _look_ at him to be able to appreciate the awesomeness of his pouty face.

“You not knowing what to get Neil is not my problem,” Andrew said, pausing to peer at a window display, though it was impossible to tell if he was judging or admiring the outfit on the mannequin. 

“Sure it is! He’s your boyfriend. You want him to be happy, don’t you? Ergo, you want to help me make sure that my gift delights and amazes him!” Nicky was really struggling to see how Andrew was not understanding this concept. 

Andrew sighed and looked over at him. There was another of his judging, weighted silences -- the ones that before, Nicky would prod through or let himself get distracted away from because he didn’t understand or was intimidated by them. Now, though, he was beginning to know better. Andrew liked to think things through before he gave things away. He wanted to make sure of his words before he said them. Nicky was learning that if he waited, Andrew would answer. It might not be the answer that Nicky wanted, but he would almost always answer. 

Finally, after a long moment in which Nicky kept himself quiet (or, well, kept himself from talking) by sucking down the whipped cream from his latte, Andrew shrugged and looked back at the display. 

“Neil likes useful things, things he can keep with him or use over and over again. The coats you got us last year? Accidentally a very good gift for him.” 

That was… kinda helpful? “But… I already got him a coat.”

Andrew did not disguise his scorn and Nicky felt a little bit offended at the truly _bitchy_ look his cousin gave him. 

“What? I did!”

“I was giving an example. He needed a coat and he uses it all winter long. It was a good gift for him.” There was judgment in every single word and that was actually kinda impressive. 

Nicky sighed. “Okay, right. Good. But that doesn’t help me figure out what to get him _this year_. Come on, Andrew, help a guy out. You wanna see Neil smile on Christmas morning dontcha?” 

The expression on Andrew’s face just then was completely indecipherable, though it wasn’t blank. No, it was far more complex. There was an almost-frown on his face, combined with a tightness in his jaw that made Nicky think he was clenching his teeth. He was clutching his drink, too, hand frozen halfway to his mouth for another sip and his gaze distant as he pictured… _something_. Nicky didn’t know what it was. He didn’t think it was a sexy something, but hey -- he could be wrong. It was a… _feeling_ though and Nicky really, really, _really_ wanted to ask about it. He almost did, too, but then Andrew said, so quietly that Nicky almost didn’t hear him: “ _Yes._ ”

“Okay, then… what’ll make him smile?” Nicky asked, as _casually_ as fucking possible. 

Clearly, Andrew had some kind of picture in his head, some kind of _idea_ and Nicky needed to fucking _know_. He needed to know so badly that it hurt. Like, his insides were downright fucking _vibrating_ like a swarm of over-caffeinated bees that had just snorted half a ton of pixie-stix. But he couldn’t rush Andrew, not if he actually wanted an answer. 

So he held his breath, and he waited. 

Finally, when Nicky was beginning to feel a little bit dizzy, his lungs tight and little gold sparks dancing in front of his eyes, Andrew finally broke out of whatever reverie he was in. He scowled and turned away -- which Nicky took as a sign it was at least safe to breathe, so he did. If Andrew noticed his unseemly gasping he didn’t say anything about it. Instead, he started walking again and Nicky almost tripped over his own feet to catch up to him again. 

“Whoa, hey where are we going? Andrew? What should I get Neil? Andrew?” he called as he followed, dodging around the people that like, magnetically attempted to fill the gap between him and Andrew like they were NPCs in a romcom whose sole purpose of invention was to make the hero’s journey more difficult. Except Nicky wasn’t the hero in this romcom, he was the plucky and encouraging BFF. He knew his place, he embraced it. All was good. 

They ended up at this kitchie little store called _The Mole Hole_ that had all sorts of handmade gifts and knick-knacks. Andrew was waiting for Nicky at the entrance and the second he caught up the shorter man took off again, aiming for the back corner of the store. Baffled, intrigued, and totally into this spontaneous adventure, Nicky followed without question. 

When they arrived, Nicky _instantly_ understood. He looked from the back wall to Andrew, then to the wall. 

Then, with a smug grin that a year ago probably would have gotten him stabbed, Nicky turned to his cousin and said: “I knew you snuggled.”


End file.
